INTERVIEW: Still plenty of mysteries on History Channel’s ‘Oak Island’

The Curse of Oak Island, which continues its fifth season on The History Channel Tuesdays at 9 p.m., has become the network’s #1 series. In a ever-changing landscape of reality TV, the mysteries surrounding the supposed buried treasure of Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, continue to attract the attention of prospectors and viewers alike.

For several years now, audience members have been tuning in to see if brothers Rick and Marty Lagina will overcome many obstacles and find the secrets of this picturesque, atmospheric island.

“I think The Curse of Oak Island resonates with people because not only do you have an incredible mystery, I think the people love the history and the mystery of Oak Island, but I think that we’ve been blessed with the fact that we’re telling it from a point of view that people can really identify with and root for,” said Joe Lessard, executive producer for the series. “And that’s Rick and Marty Lagina and the guys that surround them because it’s such a sense of not only real passion in them, but I think also a heart and a charm factor and charisma that you just can’t write. You can’t script that kind of thing. You can’t cast that kind of thing. It’s real. They’re real, and I think that’s what people identify with.”

No one truly knows what the brothers might find on the island. For centuries, people have been exploring the location, especially a strange area called the Money Pit, a 160-foot deep hole first discovered in the 1700s. There are many theories as to what’s at the bottom of the pit, but no one knows for sure.

In other words, it’s a good-old-fashioned treasure hunt.

“You’re always anxious as a producer when you’re doing this because you want to be there at the right time,” he said. “You don’t want to miss anything. You’re hoping that you’re coming away with good content, but we somehow are lucky that things just kind of workout in our favor in terms of story. There’s always good story on this island and in this quest, and in terms of the payoff of that kind of thing, my boss and the creator of the show, Kevin Burns, and I, we always joke with each other. But it’s true, every season for some reason right as we’re getting toward the end, the timing just always works out this way, that something real and natural pops up. Like literally when they found that coin in season one, that was shot like the last week of principal photography. It really was. I mean, it ended up being the finale thing, but it happened that way. No one was expecting that. … The more we shoot the show, the more Oak Island seems to be revealing itself to be not just a place of intrigue, but a place where discovery is waiting around the corner at every turn.”

The producers are good at “resetting the deck” and ensuring that audience members follow the stories that occur in each episode. Newcomers to the series can hop on the bandwagon and easily follow the narrative, although Lessard said binge-watching the first four seasons will help the experience.

“No matter where you enter, I think there’s always going to be a piece of every episode where you’re going to get an idea of how passionate Rick and Marty have been about this their whole lives, what they have found so far and where they’re trying to get to now,” Lessard said. “So, obviously, I think that anyone who likes the show would be completely gratified and would have time well spent going back and watching everything, but we try to set up every episode where you can come in and get caught up.”

Ever since day one, Lessard and the team have promoted truth and reality on the series. When they heard the story of the brothers, they wanted to ensure that their cameras would not get in the way of the real-life mystery.

“When we first started doing this show, and we first learned that Rick and Marty Lagina existed and that they were literally about to restart a very organized treasure hunt with their partners, we wanted it to be real,” Lessard said. “You get there, and you’re on the island. And it’s got such an energy, and it’s a pretty place. It’s a beautiful place. It’s got such history and stuff, but I think that the more time we spend there filming these guys, filming their process, watching what they are pulling out of the ground, listening to the theories that they’re hearing and then going back and researching and connecting the dots, I think that everyone wants it to be real. The more we’re there, the more we’re learning and seeing for ourselves that the possibility of a very real, profound, historic mystery that is being revealed one piece at a time is very true and absolutely real.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

The Curse of Oak Island continues with new episodes Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on The History Channel. Click here for more information.